I make no secret of the fact I love The Legend of Zelda series—it’s true, not every game is a banger. Still, Zelda is one of the most consistent series in quality and storytelling. Graphics, however, are an area where it fluctuates. With at least 13 different styles across 21 games, no one can claim the series has a definitive style. Ocarina of Time had some… interesting character designs and choices that we’ve since seen evolve with the series, like the Gorons.
During the N64 era, realistic graphics weren’t really a thing, so when they tried to make Ocarina of Time gritty, it stayed a bit cartoony. During the Nintendo Direct for Zelda‘s 40th anniversary, we were treated to gameplay and a new trailer. As excited as I am about the game, I’ve always been concerned about what it would look like—and what we’ve seen so far is hit or miss.
As a developer, that’s not great, not with the time left before release: Ruto, Sheik, and even the Deku Baba look great. By comparison, some of the Kokiri are touching on uncanny valley, and ironically, young Zelda is one of the worst-looking characters, with an almost wooden doll-like appearance. Backgrounds and familiar spaces feel old and new which is exactly what they were going for, great. Unfortunately, half of the gameplay areas visually read like a tech demo not a fully realized game.
At this point, the game could go either way. Still, judging by the time and effort taken to recreate and redo areas—giving fans fantastic visual landscapes—we should be in good hands. From a development standpoint, some of it is an easy fix. with a few lighting and atmosphere many of the issues can be fixed. I’ll personally be preordering, but I understand waiting.
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Nintendo Pow Block – A Nintendo Podcast by Boss Rush
Nintendo Pow Block is a weekly Nintendo podcast hosted by Edward Varnell, Corey Dirrig, and their friends from around the internet. Each week, they dive into the latest Nintendo news and rumors for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, new and upcoming releases, updates to Nintendo Switch Online and the Nintendo Music app, and discuss what they’ve been playing in the Playing with Power segment.
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